Shuffled
by GirlWithTheInkStainedSoul
Summary: It all started with a song. Dante leaves to lead an undercover case, leaving Lulu a gift before he departs.
1. It All Started With A Song

**Shuffled**

**Chapter 1: It All Started With A Song**

It all started with a song.

Actually, it started a bit before that…we'll get to the song later.

"Dante, you can't go undercover again. Not after Sonny," Lulu Spencer said, shaking her blonde hair between her fingertips as she spoke. She'd been a nervous wreck since Dante had brought up the slightest possibility of him going undercover, but hadn't considered he'd actually go through with it until Dante started packing his bags.

"I'm an _undercover_ cop, Lulu," Dante said, zipping his duffle bag and throwing it on the bed of his apartment.

"So are Ronnie and a hundred other cops. Why _you_?"

"I haven't run a new case since I worked for Sonny. Mac wants to see what I'm capable of in the field," Dante said, grabbing his gun and badge from the kitchen table.

Lulu sighed with a frown, taking a seat on the bed as she watched Dante pack. She picked at a lose thread on the sweater she was wearing—Dante's sweater—attempting to focus on anything but the thought of Dante getting into trouble. Something he was all too good at.

"What's the case?" she asked, trying to distract herself. Lulu didn't like the idea of Dante gone for a prolonged period of time, in constant danger. She didn't like the idea of being away from him for so long.

"Three young women have been declared dead. Cause of death is a drug called Prioxine, which hasn't been approved by the FDA yet. Their only connection is that all three women live in Manhattan. There's a rumor that a doctor at Bellevue Hospital is conducting unlicensed surgeries and stealing the drug from the hospital's storage, but there's no proof."

"Enter my boyfriend, the uncover cop."

Dante smiled and leaned forward, meeting Lulu's lips with his own as he pulled her into a warm embrace. His hand trailed down her neck as Dante's arms circled her hips, pulling Lulu closer. Dante deepened the kiss and Lulu parted her lips in response, gasping for a breath as they pulled apart.

"Dante," she whispered, watching as he walked towards the door, his bag over his shoulder.

"I've got to go, Lulu," he said, digging through his pockets as he pulled out a black box. A red ribbon was tied around it, creating a haphazard bow that was attached to a note. Dante sent Lulu a sad smile as he left the box on the counter, then left wordlessly as he shut the door.

"What?" Lulu muttered aloud, crossing the room and she grabbed the small box. Taking a seat on the coach she kicked of her heels and pulled away the ribbon, reading the card before proceeding to open the box.

"_I didn't want to leave you alone, so I left something to distract you while I'm gone. I love you, Lulu. Hopefully this will remind you of that every day._

_ ~Dante"_

Lulu opened the small box to find a red iPod nano, find an engraving in a small white font above the Apple logo.

"Abcdefghijklmnopqrst vwxyz… Missing u."

Lulu laughed, inserting the headphones and starting the device. There were over 200 songs already saved on the device, and after clicking on "Playlists," found numerous mixes Dante must have created for her. The first was titled "My Departure [Day 1]," and Lulu took the hint and pushed played.

The iPod read, "The Sweater Song" by Hedley, and Lulu laughed at the irony, tracing a finger over the letters stamped across the chest.

_She said baby don't leave_

_Be home stay close be close to me_

_Boy dont' be gone_

_He said baby you know _

_I gotta run i gotta go_

_I won't be long, girl i won't be long_

_She said boy don't you flirt_

_And baby please just don't get hurt_

_And if you feel alone then here take my shirt_

_He said forever girl i know you hate the weather girl_

_So maybe you should hold onto my sweater girl…_

Lulu smiled sadly, allowing the music to continue playing and block out her pain. She knew it would be a long few months without Dante, but at least his music would keep her company. She could do this.

A/N: My writing usually isn't this unorganized, but this is my first Lante fanfic and I'm still getting used to voicing the characters, so bear with me. I promise to improve…with comments ;]


	2. Before I Go

**Chapter 2: Before I Go**

Dante glanced at his phone for the hundredth time, tempted to call Lulu before he officially went undercover. His finger hovered above her speed dial number a second before his phone was snatched from his grasp.

"I know that look. No phone calls," Ronnie said, pocketing the phone. "You were gonna call Lulu, weren't you?" Ronnie and Dante had been friends for so long that they were well aware of the other's weaknesses, and always sought to protect one another when possible. "You never messed up like this before, Dante; always the golden cop. What happened man?"

Dante shook his head, returning his attention towards the notes that were scattered across his desk. He needed to memorize certain details pertaining to the case before noon, before he signed up to an orderly at Bellevue Hospital. Dante traced a finger across his copy of the hospital blueprints, preparing for any chance of trouble.

"You've been losing your touch, Dante. Ever since Son—"

"Forget it," Dante said, annoyed. He still followed protocol, protecting to the law by the book. Ronnie knew that, but he also knew that something had changed within Dante since his case against Sonny.

"Fine. You wanna go over your new identity?"

Dante nodded, containing a sigh as Ronnie swiped one of the reports from his desk. Becoming someone else was always the hardest part of undercover work; one slip up and that was the end of it.

"Name?" Ronnie asked, taking the seat across from Dante.

"Angelus Lucas."

"Angelus?" Ronnie asked, flipping through the notes. "What, has your girl been watching _Buffy_ reruns or something?"

Dante gave Ronnie a look that told him to shut up, causing his partner to smirk and glance back at the notes in front of him. "Birth?"

Dante opened his mouth to speak, but his cell phone's blaring ring interrupted him.

"Falconarri," he answered, pulling his cell phone from Ronnie's jacket pocket and flipping it open. A familiar voice filled his ears, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey Ma," he said, turning his back on Ronnie as he spoke.

"Hi honey. I wanted to catch you before you left for Bellevue. You were planning on saying goodbye to your mother, weren't you?"

Dante smiled. "Of course. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Good. I have something for you. I better see you soon, Dante."

Dante's smile widened. He hoped his mom was sending him off with a home cooked meal, imagining it as the perfect reminder of home while he was away.

"Hello. Earth to Dante," Ronnie said, waving his hand in front of his partner's face. "You were thinking about your ma's lasagna, weren't you?"

"Shut up. I've gotta go. I'll be back," Dante said, grapping his jacket and keys. "Cover for me."

"Yeah, yeah," sighed Ronnie, watching his friend leave. "Bring me back some lasagna!"

"Ma?" Dante called out, opening her apartment door with the spare key she left under the mat. A single breath was all it took as his senses kicked into overdrive. The smell of fettuccini led him to the kitchen, where he found his mom leaning over the stove, a spoon in hand.

"There you are, sweetie," she said, knocking the spoon against a pot before setting it down and leaning towards Dante for a kiss.

"Hey Ma," he replied, taking a seat across from the stove on a small island. He reached for a small chunk of cheese before his mother swatted his hand away, taking the contents of the cutting board and throwing it into the pot.

"I hope that's for me," Dante said with a laugh, breathing in the sent of fresh Italian food.

"Of course its for you honey. You didn't think I'd sent you off without some real food, now did you?" Olivia said, rolling her eyes. She checked the pot to make sure the cheese was melting and noodles were cooking before turning back towards her son.

"That's not why I called you over here, though, Dante," she said, seriousness crossing her face. "Lulu's worried sick over you, honey. You haven't even left yet."

"I know, Ma, but there's nothing I can do. This is my job."

"I understand that, sweetheart. And I know she does too. I just think you should…" Olivia bit her lip, searching for the right word. "…Reassure her that you'll come back." She rested one hand on her son's, and the other reached out of sight.

"How—" Dante started, but then he saw what his mother pulled from her apron pocket. She placed a small, black felted box in his palm, and smiled at Dante as he quickly understood.

"Go talk to her. Before you leave."

Knowing Lulu, she probably would have stayed at the apartment the rest of the day, so Dante checked there first. He opened the elevator doors to find Lulu asleep on the couch, the iPod he'd given her playing on the speakers as the voice of Mayday Parade's lead singer filled the room.

_So I'll sing a melody_

_And hope to God she's listening_

_Sleeping softly while I sing_

_And I'll be your memories_

_Your lullaby for all the times_

_Hoping that my voice could get it right_

_If luck is on my side tonight_

_My clumsy tongue will make it right_

"_I Swear This Time I Mean It_," Dante muttered, realizing the irony of the song that was playing. He walked over to Lulu and sat on the edge of the couch, brushing her hair away from her face as he hummed along to the music.

"Lulu," he whispered, hoping not to surprise her.

"Hmm," Lulu mumbled, shifting as she blinked slowly.

"Hey," Dante whispered, leaning down to his her forehead.

"What are you doing here?" she muttered, sitting up.

"Its good to see you too," Dante laughed, kneeling on the floor beside the couch as he pulled out the small box his mother gave him.

That woke Lulu up.


End file.
